Saturday, December 8, 2012

Makeup Tips to Take Better Photos



You know the story. Your getting all dolled up for a night on the town and you can’t wait to get all sexified and take some hot pics with your girlfriends. Your anxious to post them all over facebook and show the world what a sexy temptress you truly are. The moment comes when someone pulls out the camera and tells you to “Smile”. You shift into your signature pose and put your best face forward. As soon as its snapped, you snatch the camera to assess the results and EEEEEEEEK!!!!! You look awful!! You start wondering, do I really look like that?! How did I leave the house like this?! Well no need to fret, there are a lot of factors that contribute to a bad photograph that has nothing to do with genetics. Whether you’re doing a photoshoot, taking wedding pics, or just want to look better in those “night out” pics, here are some general makeup tips to take better photographs:

1. Mattify your skin-Nothing looks worse than a greasy, shiny forehead. Use some anti-shine under your foundation if your t-zone tends to get really shiny. Just be ready to run if it starts raining because anti-shine can turn white when it gets wet. My personal favorite is Smashbox Anti-Shine in Neutral.You can also dust loose powder all over your face. Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder is phenomonal!! It gives a beautiful shine-free finish without making your face look like its caked in powder. This will make your skin look silky smooth and completely natural. Also avoid liquid luminizer if you have oily skin, it’ll make you look greasy, not dewy.

2. Choose the right under eye concealer-I’m stressing this for a couple reasons. First, for those who don’t think concealer is necessary and have nice dark circles when the pic comes out. When taking photos, use under eye concealer even if you don’t think you need it. No matter what, shadows will always fall underneath your eyes and will be accentuated in photographs. So use a creamy concealer to banish those shadows and make your eyes stand out. My personal fav as I’ve mentioned before is the Amazing Concealer by Amazing Cosmetics . Its super creamy and pigmented and covers even the darkest of circles flawlessly. Make Up For Ever's Cream Concealer Palette is also great if you want a bigger variety of colors. Second, for those that use a concealer that is waaaaaaay too light for them and end up looking like a raccoon. Under eye concealer should generally be a salmon color. The orange tint in it will help to cut the blue undertones. If the discoloration under the skin is more purple, use a yellow based concealer to cut the color. For darker skinned girls, a concealer that is even closer to a true orange color works great. Make up For Ever also makes a great camouflage cream palette with these colors. Just make sure your concealer doesn’t look whiter than your skin tone. It should blend seamlessy into the rest of your skin and not look like you have any product under your eyes.

3. Choose Foundation that is Titanium Dioxide-Free- Foundations with this ingredient in it will make your face appear lighter than the rest of your body in photos. It’ll give you that “floating head” effect and no one wants that. Foundations with SPF in them will always have this ingredient so avoid them when taking pictures. Make sure your moisturizer doesn’t have SPF in it as well. is a perfect option to use when taking pictures. And of course make sure your foundation matches your neck and chest. Even if your face is lighter, you need to match your face to your body. If you feel like your foundation is too light and you don’t have time to get some more, use bronzer to give yourself some color.

4. Avoid too pale or frosty lipsticks-Pale, barely there nudes and pinks look great in person (sometimes) but tend to photograph poorly. They look white and honestly, just plain weird. If you usually stick with pale pinks and nudes, brighten up the color a tad with a darker hue for pics and you’ll be much happier with the results.

5. Put on another layer of blush-Blush tends to get washed out in photos so to make that color pop on your cheeks, use a slightly heavier hand to apply. But don’t get too carried away or you risk looking like Bozo the Clown. You can even apply a cream blush first, like Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Blush and then add a powder blush on top. I absolutely love all of Nars blushes. They blend beautifully and come in a gorgeous array of colors. Using this method allows the blush to stand out more  and gives it staying power throughout the day. 

6. Pose with your chin tilted down-Not a makeup tip, but important none the less. Generally, people photograph better when their head is tilted slightly downward and they are looking up at the camera. Try it, it even makes you feel sexier and that comes across in photographs.
Follow these tips and get great results with your photos!!!

Thanks for reading!!
xo Courtney

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